Happy Kwanzaa Black Trans Style-Imani

TransGriot Note:   On each night of the Kwanzaa celebration this year, I'm going to write about each one of those principles and explain how it applies to the chocolate trans community and our cis African descended brothers and sisters.  

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Imani (Faith): To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Haban gani?    What's the news?    

Happy New Year!    It's time to light the last candle on the Kinara and ponder the seventh principle of the seven celebrated during Kwanzaa.

Imani.  Faith.   The most important of the seven principles of Kwanzaa and one that has a major impact on us and our cis African-American family members.

As the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr has said to us, 'Faith can give us courage to face the uncertainties of the future.'     And when you're talking about something that is fraught with uncertainties, a gender transition is definitely high on the list.   But as you go into that transition, it takes a large dose of faith to do so.  Going through that journey will severely test it at times, but when its done, the transition journey is one you come out of a better person and much stronger spiritually for it.

Faith is one of the principles that has gotten us through our 400 years of trials and tribulations as a people in the Americas.   The glue that held us together as a people.   The thing that we called upon during the dark times.  The rock that we hold on to as a world that changes at seemingly lightning speed calms our anxieties about that rapid change.

And it is what we will hold on to as trans people of African descent as we start this second decade of the 21st century buffeted by many challenges but determined to be in a better position at the end of the 2k10's than we were entering it.

We not only have the faith in our collective abilities that we can do it, we know we must do it.   We must for the sake of African descended trans people sick and tired of the status quo want something better for ourselves and the trans kids following in our footsteps.  Thanks to the Imani principle, we can confidently face an uncertain future and know it will be accomplished.

Let the seven candles burning brightly on the Kinara at the close of this Kwanzaa season burn all these words and principles deeply into your hearts and minds.   Let us begin the work that we know needs to be and must be done, not waver or deviate from the completion of it, and have faith that it will come to fruition.

Happy Kwanzaa, Black Trans Style.